The competition between businesses changes every day, mirroring the affairs between the nations they are set in. Similar to countries competing for power and impact around the world, businesses influence the pace and direction of globalization now more than ever.

Although a company’s sole purpose is to make a profit, wealth was never the sole driving force behind its growth or survival. Instead, successful companies rely on intelligence and creativity in the face of competition. Quotes from America’s past successful business leaders almost never attribute wealth to success, and instead cite innovation as the key to survival and power.

Henry Ford, for example, said, “The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, expectance, and ability.”

Today, intelligence and creativity are often trump cards in the marketplace. Instead of providing physical goods, many companies now reinvent products on digital platforms. A book can now be read and shared online instead of in print, for example. As a result of the new digital realm, information and its derivative goods have only become more prevalent in business, while physical products and money have not always kept pace.

Below is Newsmax’s list of the 100 most influential business leaders in America. This list takes into account each candidates’ net worth, the company’s brand value, and the positions in both their relevant industries as well as the global business market. For the purposes of this ranking, the leaders themselves don’t necessarily have to be American born, but instead must lead businesses that are U.S.-based. Furthermore, influential business leaders do not necessarily need to hold the position of CEO.

1. Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — Referred to as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett is the CEO of diversified holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is the third-richest man in the world. Although Buffett’s position is not a major source for job creation, he has continued to inspire and influence the worldwide economic market with his trading approaches. Buffett’s net worth is estimated at $65.7 billion, and he was listed as the 14th-most powerful person in the world in a recent Forbes ranking.

2. Rupert Murdoch, News Corp and 21st Century Fox — Although Murdoch recently announced he would be stepping down as CEO of 21st Century Fox, he will still hold power and influence in the company as executive chairman. Murdoch is also CEO of News Corp, which succeeded News Corporation. In the past, he’s been named by Fortune as the second-most powerful person in business, whose assets include media outlets such as the New York Post, Fox Broadcasting company, The Wall Street Journal, and multiple successful news publications spanning in Australia, America, Europe, and Asia.

4. Tim Cook, Apple — CEO of the most valuable brand in the world, according to Forbes, Cook has continued to show leadership in the revolutionary tech company. Filling the shoes of American tech pioneer Steve Jobs after his death in 2011, Cook did not stumble in his new position as CEO, but continued to direct Apple in the direction of the future. Under Cook’s direction, the tech giant has broken into two additional markets including smart watches and music streaming services. The Apple Watch is popular among politicians and celebrities, while Apple Music is cruising up to compete with streaming giant Spotify.

5. Jeff Bezos, Amazon — Founder and standing CEO of Amazon.com, Bezos revolutionized how the entire world shops online. In addition to serving as the largest online retail outlet in the world, according to Forbes, Amazon has made its way into many different markets. Under Bezos’s direction, Amazon now sells tablets, video-streaming services, and is also experimenting with drone-based delivery methods. The company’s use of advertisement on delivery boxes is another advance in the field of commercial advertising as well.

6. Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands Corporation — With a fortune estimated by Forbes to be around the $28 billion mark, Adelson is an investor, philanthropist, business magnate, and chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. His company operates Las Vegas’ The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, as well as the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. He is also a well-known name in the Republican Party, gaining influence over the years as a result of his generous donations.

7. Charles and David Koch, Koch Industries — The Koch brothers run the family business, the second largest privately owned company in the country. With Charles as chairman and CEO and David as executive vice president, Koch Industries hauled in an estimated revenue of $115 billion, according to Forbes. The Koch brothers are also well known as political mega-donors, offering up more than $100 million to fund right-wing causes. They were once dubbed by The New Yorker as “the billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.”

10. Satya Nadella, Microsoft — Inheriting a massive company from outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer, Nadella has brought some of the magic back to Microsoft’s onetime renaissance under founder Bill Gates. Although he is still young in his position as CEO, Nadella has acted quickly to bring Microsoft up-to-date by cutting ties with Nokia and creating apps that operate with Linux and Mac to tap into the markets of the Android and iPad devices. It’s a quick shift in direction from Nadella that makes Microsoft the second-most valuable brand in the world, according to Forbes.

11. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook — After the film “The Social Network” pushed him into the international spotlight, the Facebook co-founder and CEO only continued to rise in popularity. Named one of the youngest billionaires by Forbes with a net worth of $34 billion, 31-year-old Zuckerberg’s influence will only continue to grow. Facebook is ranked No. 10 on the list of the world’s most valuable company brands, according to Forbes.

13. Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil — President and CEO of the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, Tillerson led Exxon Mobile to $4.9 billion in profits within it first quarter beating previous expectations. Tillerson was ranked as the 20th-most influential person in the world, according to Forbes.
14. Brian Roberts, Comcast Corporation — In addition to serving as the chairman and CEO of Comcast, Roberts personally controls 33 and 1/3 percent of the voting rights of the company. He also chairs the board of directors of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. The attempted $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable may not have worked out, but Comcast has a renewed commitment to revamping its business in order to ensure it stays the largest cable company in the United States.
15. Paul Singer, Elliott Management Corporation — As the founder and CEO of hedge fund Elliott Management Corporation, Singer oversees more than $25 billion, according to Forbes. He ranks No. 16 on the Forbes list of highest-earning hedge fund managers and traders, and has an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion. Singer is also active in the political and philanthropic arenas, donating to the Republican Party and even serving on the Honorary Delegation to accompany President George W. Bush to Jerusalem in 2008.

16. Larry Ellison, Oracle — Ellison, a computer programmer and entrepreneur, is a cofounder and CEO of software manufacturer Oracle Corporation. Under Ellison’s leadership, the company has been able to out-sell IBM, making it the second-largest software vendor. It raked in $29.6 billion in software revenue alone in 2013, according to PC World. Oracle Corporation now competes just under Microsoft, which continues to hold the spot of the largest software vendor. Ellison is the fifth-richest man in the world according to Forbes, with a $54.3 billion net worth.

17. Bill Gates, Microsoft, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — Gates was ranked the seventh-most powerful person in the world by Forbes. Gates is also known as the richest person on the planet with a net worth estimated at $78.5 billion.
18. Michael Bloomberg — Successful businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg shares experience in politics and business alike. Bloomberg was named the richest person in New York state with an estimated net worth of more than $33 billion, according to Business Insider. Bloomberg currently owns 88 percent of his company Bloomberg LP, which he started in 1981.

19. Wilbur Ross — An investor and businessman who made his billions advising bankruptcies and restructuring flailing companies, Ross is a force in the steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investments, and textiles industries. He spent 25 years with Rothschild Inc’s bankruptcy practice and then founded investment firm WL Ross & Co in 2000. It was acquired by Invesco in 2006. He has spent the recent years turning around troubled banks, first the Bank of Ireland and then the Bank of Cyprus.

21. Doug McMillon, Wal-Mart — CEO of Fortune’s No. 1-ranked business out of 500, McMillon got his start at Wal-Mart unloading boxes on the loading docks, according to Business Insider. He is also ranked as the 29th-most powerful person in the world, according to Forbes.

23. John Chambers, Cisco — Although he stepped down from CEO to executive chairman last month, Chambers has served as CEO of Cisco for 20 years. During his reign, the CEO made Cisco one of the most respected companies worldwide, ranking No. 15 on Forbes’ list of most valuable brands in the world.

24. Carly Fiorina- HP and potential 2016 GOP presidential nominee — Fiorina climbed the ranks as an executive at AT&T and then Lucent Technologies, Inc. before becoming CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1999. As the first woman to lead a top 20 company, Fiorina oversaw HP’s massive merger with Compaq — one of the largest tech mergers in history, according to Forbes. She has now moved on to politics and, thanks to a recent bump in the polls, has secured a place in the second Republican debate schedule for Sept. 16.
26. Ginni Rometty — CEO of IBM